I went through three rounds of phone interview screenings followed by an in-person interview at Bioverativ’s Waltham, MA headquarters.
The discussions with the hiring manager was the most positive part of the experience. She was upfront, knowledgeable, personable, genuine, and obviously had a vision for her team. However, this is where the positive impressions ended.
I met with a senior stakeholder who was obviously annoyed at who was on the interview schedule, more so than wanting to discuss her challenges. It was also obvious that she had a very skewed understanding of the procurement function and expectations.
As I met other interviewers, the scope of the role went from external CMO and commercial supply chain, to development, to logistics, to lab supplies - all without a support infrastructure for a company the size of Bioverativ. While I completely expect smaller companies to not have the resources and infrastructure of a larger company, it was apparent this role would be 14-hour days with no end in sight. Aside from the hiring manager, the rest of the team did not appear to see the need (or have the will to support) for additional supporting resources (legal, operational, etc.).
One other point that I noticed, was Bioverativ was looking to transition their commercial DS/DP supply base - in roughly one-years’ time. This is a daunting task if not impossible. My instinct told me the supply chain team had a problem, they knew it and were looking to put the responsibility (and blame for failure) on the procurement team.
While I believe Bioverativ presents certain professional challenges to anyone considering this role - my humble advice, PROTECT YOURSELF! Consider this role only with a strong employment contract and compensation package.